• ADC accuses government of pushing narratives to distract Nigerians
• ARG: Govt should not rely on military assurances alone, rearrangement of security architecture needed
• Coup rumour will continue as long as Tinubu fails to change tactics, Yoruba Ronu says
• Clean up Aso Villa to help your administration succeed, Oki urges
• Democracy louder but less effective, Showunmi argues

The dust is yet to settle in the polity despite a strident denial at the weekend by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) of attempted plots to truncate the Fourth Republic. 
 
Yet, all eyes are on the presidency this week as government officials shrug off anxieties and concerns over the ‘coup rumours’. The week is beginning on some uncertain grounds as security operatives are battle-ready to contain protests across major cities of the country today calling for the release of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
   
President Bola Tinubu returned to Abuja on Saturday night after participating in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government-level Meeting held in Rome, Italy, where world leaders gathered to strengthen cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism.

Vice President Kashim Shettima is scheduled to visit Katsina State today, where he is expected to declare open the 9th expanded national Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Clinic. The vice president is also expected to commission some state government projects, including a N1.9 billion, 3.3-kilometre expanded road in the state metropolitan area.
   
But amid recurring rumours of coup plots under President Tinubu’s administration, key political, regional and civic leaders have expressed concern over what they describe as rising public anxiety and loss of trust in the government.

While the military has twice dismissed such reports as unfounded, stakeholders warn that both secrecy and economic hardship are fuelling tension that could further erode confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
   
Recall that a similar scare was raised earlier this year, this time by the presidency, when in July, president’s adviser, Bayo Onanuga, alleged that opposition parties were plotting to overthrow President Tinubu’s administration before the 2027 general election.
   
Many are, however, taking this latest alarm as another red herring, which should not be encouraged to fester. President of the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, Akin Malaolu, blamed the persistence of coup rumours on what he called the government’s “propaganda-driven” approach to governance rather than genuine efforts to address national challenges such as unemployment, hardship and insecurity.
 
He said: “I can bet you that the coup rumour will continue to resurface as long as the President fails to change his tactics of governance. He who hides truth behind the mirror never sees it break.”
 
Malaolu accused the security agencies of focusing more on protecting the President and the political elite than the country itself. He also questioned the silence surrounding the alleged arrest of senior military officers over the purported coup plot.
   
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Fuoad Oki, called for a thorough cleansing of the Presidential Villa, saying it is essential for President Tinubu to effectively deliver on his campaign promises and build a better Nigeria.
   
According to Oki, such a move will help prevent those working closely with the President from offering anti-people advice or promoting policies that run contrary to the country’s socio-economic growth.
   
Speaking in Ikeja, Lagos, at the weekend, Oki lamented that past records show how individuals who entered the Villa with noble intentions and integrity often left office with tainted reputations. He urged President Tinubu and his allies to treat his advice as a matter of urgent national importance if they truly want him to leave behind a positive legacy.
 
Chairman of the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), Wale Oshun, warned that the repeated coup claims should not be treated lightly. He urged the military to come clean on the true situation and called on the civilian leadership to exercise greater vigilance.
 
According to Oshun: “I don’t expect the military echelon to openly admit there was a coup attempt, even though they denied it. The recurrent rumour also puts the responsibility back on the civilian administration not to leave its security entirely in the hands of the military. It needs to do a serious internal assessment to ensure there is no such plan and nothing should be left to speculation.
 
“I also do not agree with the secrecy with which the whole issue is being handled. For me, the military will not tell the truth just to save its face. The President must demonstrate he is capable; otherwise, the persistent rumour may be a test, and if left to go like that, this may encourage other officers to actually plan a coup.”
 
Former Minister of Defence, Dr Olu Agunloye, cautioned that Nigeria had outgrown the era of military interference in politics. He warned that any attempt by soldiers to seize power would plunge the country into a deeper crisis.
 
He said: “Let it be clear to the military that Nigerians do not need them to come and teach us governance. We have had enough of the army in politics; otherwise, the consequences on the country may be worse than what they think they want to correct. The military is not trained to rule.
 
“What we need the military to do is to help Nigeria ensure that free, fair and credible elections are conducted and also to ensure the eradication of vote buying and marketing.”
 
Alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is behind the circulation of coup rumours to divert public attention from its poor governance record, the spokesperson of the Coalition of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party would never support or encourage any military intervention, regardless of the imperfections of democracy.
 
“No matter the challenges facing democratic governance, no group of ambitious military officers should attempt to truncate or undermine democratic rule in Nigeria again,” Abdullahi said.

“It is, however, clear that the ruling party is the one pushing this narrative to distract Nigerians from its failures. Since the Defence Headquarters has denied it, I believe it should have been left to die like that.”
 
President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shetima, also warned the military to steer clear of politics, stressing that any attempt to undo democracy would be resisted by Nigerians who fought for it. He said: “Since the military hierarchy has denied the coup rumour, let it be left like that. Otherwise, those of us who staked our lives to bring about democratic rule will not hesitate to return to the streets to protest if any attempt is made to undo democracy.”
 
A retired top military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, urged President Tinubu to tread carefully and remain alert to possible political undercurrents.
 
He said: “The President must be seriously careful. Some sections of the country which feel short-changed out of power may be making a sinister agenda to usurp power again. It’s important not to take these recurring rumours lightly.”
 
Since President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Nigeria’s security community has twice been shaken by rumours of alleged coup plots, both swiftly dismissed by the military.
 
The first occurred in February 2024, when reports claimed the Guards Brigade had been placed on high alert over whispers of a plan to destabilise the administration. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) dismissed the story as “fake news,” insisting the armed forces remained loyal to constitutional authority.
 
A second wave followed in October 2025, when reports alleged that 16 senior officers had been arrested for plotting a coup. The story, which trended across social media, sparked widespread anxiety among citizens already battling economic hardship.
 
Again, the DHQ denied the report, clarifying that while some officers were under routine investigation, no coup attempt existed.  Though both incidents were officially debunked, analysts say the recurrence of such rumours underscores the tense national mood and growing frustration among citizens. With the military’s renewed pledge of loyalty to democratic rule, security experts insist that transparency and discipline within the ranks are essential to prevent misinformation from fuelling further unrest.
   
The National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Achike Chude, has warned that rumours of a coup should not be dismissed with levity, noting that recent military takeovers in neighbouring countries pose a warning signal Nigeria must not ignore.
 
Chude said Nigeria’s past experience, where some rumours eventually became reality, makes the situation worrisome. “You can rest assured that the government and the military will never admit there is a coup. They will only deny it. But the truth is that Nigerians are unhappy, and even some military personnel can feel the people’s pulse,” he stated.
 
He added that while the NUJ has yet to take an official position, the onus is on the political class to deliver good governance. “My personal view is that coups are condemnable and unacceptable, but our leaders must sit up and address the country’s challenges,” Chude said.

MEANWHILE, chief promoter of the Alternative and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Showunmi, has submitted that liberal democratic model “is struggling to deliver the developmental outcomes that once justified its global prestige.”
   
In an article titled ’Can Authoritarianism Build Faster’, Showunmi argued that the democratic promise of freedom and accountability is “increasingly undermined” by “institutional fatigue. Democracies today are louder but less effective. They produce elections, but not direction; expression, but not execution,” the public affairs analyst said.
 
 According to him, authoritarian nations are developing faster than democracies, arguing that concentrated authority, when competently applied, delivers results with a speed and precision that liberal systems often fail to achieve.  He examined what he called the “efficiency paradox” — the ability of non-democratic systems to achieve large-scale development despite global preference for democracy.
   
The PDP chieftain questioned why centralised states such as China, Singapore, and South Korea during their developmental years could mobilise resources, plan long-term, and implement large projects effectively, while many democratic governments remained trapped in cycles of debate and delay.
   
“The question is not moral but empirical. Concentrated authority, when competent and strategically deployed, has proven capable of generating growth at a speed liberal democracies can rarely match,” he said.
   
He noted that China’s rapid economic transformation, which lifted over 800 million people out of poverty within four decades, demonstrates the potential of a coordinated governance model. He compared this with the gridlock and short-termism that often characterise democratic institutions.
   
According to him, the world must begin to assess governments not by ideology but by performance and their ability to improve lives, reduce poverty, and expand opportunity.
 
 Showunmi clarified that his position was not an endorsement of authoritarianism but a call for democracy to evolve into a more decisive, performance-oriented model.